Interview
(Progressive Newsletter Nr.30 05/00)
excerpts from an interview with Jakob Luttinger (Bass)
I really can't remember that we had a real reason. Gunnar, the violinist, was a friend of ours and he used to have his own band in which he sang and played the violin. We asked him to join us for a gig and it turned out real well. The sound of strings can be so much more interesting than the sounds from a keyboard. It also fitted well with Pelle's voice. After a while we wanted to add some bass to the sound, and Lisa, the cellist, came along. Pelle started writing string arrangements for them and from then it was a natural part of the music
The lyrics of the album tells a story about "Lucy and the clown". Could you explain a little bit further who they are?
Lucy is a girl who becomes convinced that she has a message to carry out to the world. She wants to make it perfectly clear to everyone that the only answer to all the problems in the world is love. To achieve this love we first have to learn to love ourselves. This is basically the idea behind the lyrics. The clown is the total opposite of Lucy. He is a bitter, cynical person who cracks jokes about the terrible state we're all in, and is only interested in Lucy for her charms and her sexuality.
Who is the storyteller?
The view shifts between Lucy, the Clown, and the Singer, which is Pelle. This might seem a bit confusing, but the lyrics are really open to all kinds of interpretation, and the lyrics can be appreciated even if you don't know exactly who does or says what.
For me, the lyrics of the album seems to be heavily sexually inspired?
In the Clown's eyes, it probably is. He's just that kind of person. But this is just a little bit of the whole, the intention was to emphasize on the conflict of love and hate. Perhaps it is a bit sad that the only view on sex is given by the Clown, since his picture of the world is such a dark one.
Could you tell me a little about your main musical influences?
The house gods while writing the album were David Bowie and King Crimson. We wanted to come close to the feeling on albums such as 'Diamond Dogs', 'Heroes' and 'In the Court of the Crimson King'. Other influences vary a lot; the Cure, old Motown records, Pink Floyd and Roxy Music are some of them.
Describe your music and what you have tried to reach.
Basically we wanted to develop simple musical ideas, pop songs, into more complex things, and just see were it would lead. We were very young while writing this music, and we tried really hard not to sound like anything else. Of course, that's impossible, but we tried.
Is there anything you don't like about the album?
Some of the music on it has been 'overworked' too much. It feels as if certain parts of certain songs is just made to sound peculiar and different. There is no real thought behind it. But as a whole, we feel that it is a beautiful piece of work, and we are proud of it. We managed to get our visions and ideas out of our heads into our fingers and down on record, and that is extraordinary.
Who would do the leading roles in the 'About the Black Eyed Girl' moving picture?
Well, Malcolm McDowell would definitely do the Clown. His character in 'A Clockwork Orange' was one of the influences while writing the lyrics. Lucy is a bit harder to cast. As a matter of fact, we don't really have a clear idea of what she looks like. She is more like a spirit than a real person. The spirit of the album. Finally, we think Berlin would be a perfect location to shoot the picture in.
Stefan H. Kost + Hans Rosén © Progressive Newsletter 2000